Outside a Ukrainian Navy installation in the suburbs of Simferopol, a man canada goose outlet in uk in his 20s sat on a low wall reading the local paper when a young woman approached and gave him a bag of apples.

you for coming, she said. An ordinary enough scene, if he had not also been wearing Russian issue green combat fatigues and cradling a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

canada goose coats on sale The seven men around him six with Kalashnikovs, one with a Dragunov sniper rifle shrugged in agreement. If their NCO was willing to talk, why should they deny it? canada goose coats on sale

The seven, who wore no insignia and travelled in a truck with no number plate, are part goose outlet canada of a silent Russian invasion force that has swiftly, calmly and without any commotion at all taken a firm grip on the Crimean peninsula.

canada goose clearance First appearing at Simferopol airport in the early hours of Friday morning, by Saturday evening the silent, unidentified men were guarding key government buildings in the city centre, had blockaded Ukrainian border troops at Balaklava bay and Belbek airport near Sebastopol, and established checkpoints on roads across the peninsula. canada goose clearance

It was the first time any of the mysterious camouflaged men who have appeared around the Crimean capital have identified themselves and, though his claim was impossible to verify, he may have been telling the truth.

Patrolling the streets with the leisurely but deliberate pace of British police constables on the beat, the men with machine guns appear to be there to show their presence not to fight.

But their ability to walk unmolested through canada goose outlet store new york the regional capital of another country has sent a strong signal about Russia intentions in this part of the world.

canada goose uk outlet They keep themselves to themselves, carry no clips in their assault rifles, and for the most part they have made no effort to interfere with civilian life. canada goose uk outlet

In fact they have been so well behaved they even have their own joke Twitter feed Lyudi people.

says we blockading things. On the contrary, we not blockading anyone. The Ukrainians know we canada goose uk are here, and we got an understanding with them. We working with them, said the NCO. not going to be any fighting.

The Ukrainians on the other side of the concrete panel wall surrounding the base see things differently, however.

Of two closed metal gates, one was blocked by an armoured personnel carrier (APC) on the inside, while tyre piercing spikes were laid by the second. Ten yards up the drive another APC stood ready to charge or fire should the gates be breached. Unlike the Russian marines outside, the Ukrainian sentries were wearing combat helmets and had clips inserted in their canada goose outlet nyc Kalashnikovs. They and their officers declined to talk.

Despite the obvious nervousness of the Ukrainians, it is difficult not to agree with the young Russian marine everything here is calm, at canada goose outlet store calgary least outwardly.

Dozens of people may have been injured in clashes elsewhere in eastern Ukraine yesterday, but there has been scarcely any violence in the takeover of Crimea. The demonstrations of pro Russian sentiment throughout the city centre have faced no opposition since the ethnic Tatar community demonstrated against unification with Russia on Wednesday, and the daily bustle of city life is continuing as normal.

Perhaps to their disappointment, there is no sign of the bands that pro Russian groups say are heading here from Kiev.

canadian goose jacket In fact, there seems very little for Russian forces to unless they create such a situation themselves. canadian goose jacket

On Saturday the Russian foreign ministry claimed that from Kiev had attempted to storm the regional interior ministry building on Friday night. forces canada goose outlet in vancouver repulsed them, the statement said. If true, canada goose outlet trillium parka black it would have been a rash action by the revolutionaries who now rule in Kiev. But it seems that it never happened.

canada goose clearance sale All of the volunteers outside the building The Sunday Telegraph spoke to yesterday denied that any incident had occurred there that night. There was no sign of fighting or damage to cheap canada goose the building. canada goose clearance sale

But silent, heavily armed and strangely polite men of the Russian marine infantry are not the only force in the peninsula. Half a mile away, a Ukrainian interior ministry barracks is also under guard but the sentries here do not wear green.

The men of the Crimean Defence Front, as their leader described them, wear jeans, tracksuits and the orange and black ribbon of St George a symbol of Russian military valour that pro Russian groups here have taken as their badge.

Canada Goose Parka not blockading anything, said their leader, Ruslan. let tobacco and food in. The troops here can come and go as they like. As long as they are unarmed and not in vehicles. Canada Goose Parka

uk canada goose outlet Like dozens of other volunteers in Simferopol, he claims not to have anything to do with, or https://www.canadagooseparka.biz know anything about, the Russian forces patrolling the city centre. But the groups are clearly working in close co ordination with the Russians, often placing themselves between civilians and the troops, and almost always deployed in the same place. uk canada goose outlet

With Russian troops and vigilante bands in the streets, the formal local forces are staying very firmly in their barracks.

Canada Goose online Since being disbanded by the new government in Kiev on Tuesday, the Berkut Ukraine elite riot police units technically no longer exist Canada Goose online.